Opinion Roundup: Trump, North Carolina's image, coal ash, HB2, tension in Charlotte and more

Evangelicals must join GOP in disavowing Trump (Elizabeth City Daily Advance) -- Donald Trump really ought to change his trademark slogan from “Make America Great Again” to “Make Americans Embarrassed to Call Themselves Americans.” Because God knows, he’s certainly done his best to make many Americans feel that way over the past year.

RAILEY: We are a lot more than just a battleground state (Winston-Salem Journal column) -- Dear America: I’m a newspaperman, not a PR man nor a politician. But in the harsh glare of all the pummeling we’ve been getting in the national press, I felt it only right to tell y’all our full story. “A battleground state” in the presidential race, you call us, a state torn by “the bathroom bill” that discriminates against transgender people, the voter suppression law that’s been all but defeated and the recent Charlotte riots over the police shooting of a civilian. We are that, but we are so much more.

Good plan for buck coal ash (Salisbury Post) -- The excavation and recycling plan Duke Energy announced last week for the three coal ash ponds at Buck Station in Rowan County is a victory for residents and environmentalists, as well as a good solution for Duke.

To each its own? (Greensboro News & Record) -- The problem is that HB 2 didn’t stop with denying Charlotte the freedom to set its own anti-discrimination policy. It mandated a policy for every city and town and barred them from making accommodations for their own needs and values. … The small towns may hold traditional values that seem right to them. Some cities want to promote their own values of accommodation, respect and understanding. The state should let cities do what they think is best, which shouldn’t disturb Shelby, Lincolnton and Wadesboro at all.

Charlotte shooting shows why law needs fixing (Fayetteville Observer) -- The videos didn't settle the case, but they did settle a lot of raw nerves in Charlotte. That was important in a city that was briefly a powder keg ready to explode.

Discipline dispute shows need for surveillance video (Wilson Times) -- Two Hunt High School sophomores crossed the line last week in a dust-up with the principal and scuffle with the school resource officer. That fact is not in dispute.